Written statements provide valuable information from the people directly involved and those observing from the sidelines. Civil Air Patrol’s Safety Management System now has the ability to collect statements from all members that are a part of a mishap or observed the mishap occur. If a member is entered into the database during the Step 2 Mishap Update, they will be notified and asked to complete a written statement. This process is done electronically and this module is designed to show you how to make a statement entry. How to Enter a Statement

To start, log into eServices To start, log into eServices How to Enter a Statement

Click on Safety Management Systems (SMS) Click on Safety Management Systems (SMS) How to Enter a Statement

Then select Statement Entry on the main SMS page. FILE NEW MISHAP UPDATE A MISHAP How to Enter a Statement

The next page will give the member a quick reference to the mishaps that they have been asked to make a statement for. When this is requested, the member involved will be notified at their primary address that a statement is pending. Once the member is here, they should click on the hyperlink under the Mishap ID header. This will take them to the entry page for the mishap selected. How to Enter a Statement

In this section the member making the statement should include only facts of what they experienced or saw. This is not a place for opinions, speculation, or solutions. In this section, every effort should be make to document, “Who, What, When, and Where.” Example questions that could be answered in a statement could be, “Who was in charge?,” “What was the weather like?,” “Where were you standing?,” “What did you see people do?,” “Did you call 911?,” and so on. If you took pictures, you may want to indicate that so the review officer can retrieve them from you. If the member has questions or requires guidance, they can always contact their unit safety officer for assistance; however, the words written must be factual and in their own words. Safety Officers must not direct members what to write in their statement. How to Enter a Statement

In this section, once the statement has been submitted, it will attach to the mishap as part of the review process. Only the review officer, Directors of Safety, and Commanders at the wing level and higher echelons will have access to these statements. Confidentiality is a key part of Civil Air Patrol’s safety program. A nice feature of this program is that if the member decides they want to make additional comments, they can enter them into this box and click the submit/add button and the comments will be added to where the member left off in the previous statement. The member can make additional entries through out the mishap review process. Once the mishap has been submitted to the Wing Commander for review, the statement module is closed and all statements are final. How to Enter a Statement

The system is intuitive also. If a member is entered in multiple mishaps, once the click into a particular mishap the system will remind the member the role they were identified in for the mishap across the header of the statement page. How to Enter a Statement The member will also see the account and again, the person type that was selected for them when the mishap was filed.

How to Enter a Statement In closing, it is very important that the member Updating a Mishap, Step 2, enter all member participants and witnesses. This is a process change; however, very necessary to ensure a complete and thorough review of Civil Air Patrol’s mishaps.

You have now completed How to Enter a Statement – Please go back and take the quiz for safety education credit for this module. Thanks for your time to learn about Civil Air Patrol’s Safety Management System (SMS). Please take time to continue to explore learning modules related to other capabilities of SMS. Remember: Safety is a HABIT that only YOU can positively control! How to Enter a Statement